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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Escape and Evade: Important Skills You May Never Need

My time in the military was unique. Without going into too much detail I ended up qualifying for many schools associated with operator’s jobs. I am not, was not, a special forces operator. But by virtue of going through the qualifying process for certain schools and being qualified the military wanted to get the best use out of me they could. So they sent me to those schools. They also “volunteered” me for some crazy duty once I had that training. So I had some great experiences and some great training. I even almost got into Ranger school even though I was not in the Army.
I took two separate courses on escape and evade, one from the Army, and one from the Air Force. Both of them were very good information.
Just because you are the hunted doesn’t mean you have to be the prey. Running scared will get you killed. Being put into a dangerous situation you can’t overcome may cause you to run. Running is ok, just don’t run scared.
Planning is important. If you have a plan to avoid a problem then even if a different problem arises, you may be able to use a lot of the planning you have already done for this new problem. But you should always be ready to improvise. Pre-planning is the number one priority and you can use it to evade everything from a stalker, to a bad neighborhood, to a war zone In some situations escaping could be deadly because of the situation or the elements. Don’t let circumstances dictate outcomes. You should be the one who weighs the good and bad and makes a choice.
There are 3 things to remember when escaping:

Develop a plan that will allow you to evade.
Get as far away from the “prison”, disaster, riot, whatever, as quickly as possible.
Find a safe place (safe house, safe haven, etc.) to plan your next move

Take every opportunity to hydrate and eat/gather food. You don’t know when the next opportunity may arise—and you might not have the luxury of stopping when it does.

Blend into your environment, be aware of the foliage, the wildlife, and animal behavior. Use natural vegetation and mud to break up your outline and to make yourself less conspicuous. Know when to go to ground, and trust your camouflage when you do.

Remember, three things will draw unwanted attention. Movement draws the eye, noise can give you away, and shiny objects can reflect light. The sun flashing off of a reflective surface can be seen for miles and miles.
Additionally, there are things you can do to avoid having to evade a threat. For example, if you’re trying to dodge a stalker boyfriend or girlfriend, don’t follow the same routes to and from work, school, or the store. Switch it up. Evading is basically avoiding detection. But once you’ve been found out, it’s time to escape. For that, there’s a whole other set of steps to follow, and they vary based on the situation and how much time you have to react.
There are two types of evasion: pre-planned and hasty. Pre-planned, or deliberate evasion, involves logistical or pre-placed elements that aid in your escape, for example, pre-positioning supplies at a series of places along your escape route.
If you work and live in the city, that might mean making a call to a relative telling them if something happens, expect me to show up on their doorstep. But, it’s essential that you fully plan your evasion, you can’t do it half way. For example, if you plan on bugging out to someone’s house, you need to let that person know that you’ll be heading there.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have a hasty evasion, which is an escape plan that’s developed on the fly in response to an unexpected or unforeseen danger. A hasty evasion may not have a fully laid-out plan, but you still need to think it through as far ahead as possible, even if it’s only a few steps.
This can be as simple as immediately assessing the situation. Maybe you’re stuck on a crowded street during a disaster. Find the quickest way to a safe place, whether that’s home, work, or a friend’s place, and see if you can get there on side streets.
Ultimately, pulling off a successful evasion hinges on being decisive. Don’t panic. Work the problem and don’t think too much about the disaster. There will be time for that later. Freaking out is not an option.
Remember the Jason Bourne movies? He kept moving and was doing things on the fly. You have to use your head but generally, look at what’s in front of you and where that will lead you. In the movies Jason also tried to do things that would change his appearance, adding clothing, removing clothing, it’s these little things that can make a difference.
Evading is something you can actually practice. This is a Boy Scout game.
SHADOWING.
A patrol is told off to shadow a party of the enemy, who are advancing through the country (consisting of another patrol or the rest of the troop). The patrol told off to shadow the rest must follow on as closely as possible, but it is best to send on one or two Scouts ahead, to signal when it is safe to advance.
As soon the enemy see a Scout shadowing them they can give chase, and if they overtake him he is a prisoner, and has to march with the main body. They can also split up into two parties and join again further on, or leave some behind in ambush.
It is only necessary to touch the shadowers to make them prisoners. If they cannot throw them off their tracks within a certain distance (two miles or so), or else capture more than half of them, they must own themselves defeated; and then another patrol takes the place of the shadowers. (This can be practiced along a route march--it has the advantage of always covering fresh ground in the advance.)
We have all “escaped and evaded” in our lives. We do it now to avoid a person. It’s just not the same fearing for your life or your freedom.
This is something you will probably never need to know, but if you did need it, it would be great to know!
See the following previous entries for more info.
Are You Being Followed? 10/13/2016
Don't Be The Hunted: E & E 7/8/2016
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn